Sometimes it's important to sit back and think about what it would take to make a better world. I am in Florida presently, sitting on a patio overlooking a wide sandy beach with white-capped ocean waves rolling along the shoreline. There is a sense of permanence here.
And yet, life changes. I have just said goodbye to a most remarkable lady who recently celebrated her 91st birthday with roses and hugs. She has swung her last golf club, sipped her last glass of wine, and looked at her last Florida sunset. Gracious in deed, my Aunt Freda has lived a full life – revered by two husbands (not at the same time), five children, 13 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. Sparklingly alert, she survived giving up smoking, cancer, a couple of strokes and a bout of septic shock. With the flair of an Auntie Mame, she has met the challenges and shocks of living with a commitment to unconditional love. She left here by air ambulance to Montreal.
Still, we look to tomorrow.
Visiting here, the Donald Trump phenomenon is a continuing source of bemusement. He is a uniquely American phenomenon – an archetypical capitalist, an uninhibited scoundrel and thoroughly entertaining personality who has single-handedly made the American Presidential race prime time watching. Discomfortingly, he is also the best that the Republican Party can offer. If his opponents can't handle Trump, how would they ever cope with Putin and imperialist China? As for Hillary Clinton, nobody likes her much, but her election would at least give the U.S.A. a two for one option in the White House. That's if Secretary of State John Kerry doesn't opt to try again as soon as he's finished sorting out Syria.
Meanwhile in Canada, the latest murmurings from our neighbour, British Columbia are annoying. With Canada's national unity in mind, and a kinder gentler federal government just elected, one is amazed at the discourtesy of Judith Guichon, lieutenant-governor of British Columbia. In her latest throne speech, she berated Alberta for not having diversified our economy so that we wouldn't be suffering from the drop in oil prices.
Premier Christy Clark obviously dictated the lieutenant-governor's silly remarks with a view to distracting British Columbians from noticing that the B.C. provincial debt is running at $14,800 per person. (Alberta's per capita debt is presently $4.150). However, the accountability for uttering the premier's self-serving lotus-land musings in her royal address must rest on the shoulders of the Queen's representative. She delivered the speech from the throne – not the premier. I expect the Queen was not amused.
In the end however, Alberta should take our neighbour's comments to heart and in a gentler mood of reflection, acknowledge that getting our unrefined oil to either offshore markets will be a source of stress for our newly-elected prime minister. So let's have Albertans treat everyone unconditionally by refining our own oil and getting more value for our product. Mind you, we can't expect our U.S.-owned oil producers to help us out. But maybe Premier Clark and Mayor Denis Coderre of Montreal would be prepared to invest in this made in Canada solution – unconditionally.
Dr. Alan Irving Murdock is a St. Albert pediatrician. His commentary recently appeared in the St. Albert Gazette.
